Ohio Motorcycle Helmet Law

This list of Ohio motorcycle helmet laws is a reference only and you should always refer to the Ohio D.O.T. for current requirements.  Please e-mail us if you believe our Ohio motorcycle helmet law information is out of date or otherwise incorrect.

Ohio has helmet laws that exempt adult riders, riders over the age of majority -- 18 years old and over!

Ohio Motorcycle Helmet Statue: 
Title XLV. Motor Vehicles--Aeronautics--Watercraft. Chapter 4511. Traffic laws--Operation of Motor Vehicles. Bicycles. Section 4511.53 Rules for Bicycles, Motorcycles and Snowmobiles. : 
". . . No person who is under the age of eighteen years, or who holds a motorcycle operator's endorsement or license bearing a "novice" designation that is currently in effect as provided in section 4507.13 of the Revised Code, shall operate a motorcycle on a highway, or be a passenger on a motorcycle, unless wearing a protective helmet on his head, and no other person shall be a passenger on a motorcycle operated by such a person unless similarly wearing a protective helmet. . . ."

STANDARDS:

Title XLV. Motor Vehicles--Aeronautics--Watercraft. Chapter 4511. Traffic laws--Operation of Motor Vehicles. Bicycles. Section 4511.53 Rules for Bicycles, Motorcycles and Snowmobiles. : 
". . . The helmet, safety glasses, or other protective eye device shall conform with regulations prescribed and promulgated by the director of public safety."

State Funded Rider Education 
Available for all eligible applicants. 
Required under age 18. 

Eye Protection 
Required unless equipped with wind screen. 

Daytime Use Of Headlight 
Modulating headlight permitted. 

Passenger Seat 
Required if carrying a passenger. 

Passenger Footrests 
Required if carrying a passenger. 

Mirror 
Required by law. 

Periodic Safety Inspection 
Random inspections, required by law. 

65 MPH Speed Limit 
In effect on designated rural interstate highways. 

OHIO-DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF CLOTHING OR CLUB MEMBERSHIP IS ILLEGAL

The Ohio Revised Code, 4112.02 (G) provides that It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any proprietor or any employee, keeper, or manager of a place of public accommodation to deny to any person, except for reasons applicable alike to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, handicap, age or ancestry, the full enjoyment of the accommodations, advantages, facilities or privileges thereof. The purpose of R C 4112.02 (G), is to afford every person or individual a guarantee against arbitrary discrimination of any kind, whether or not specifically expressed in the code. All arbitrary discrimination is prohibited by it and all persons are protected from stereotypical discrimination. Class based generalization as a justification for differential treatment is a type of practice that is prohibited by the Ohio Revised Code. The standard for determining whether there has been unlawful discrimination is not whether an exclusionary policy is rational and/or reasonable, but whether it is based upon stereotype as established in Ohio Civil Rights Commission v, Lysyk, at page 221 Therefore; unless a blanket exclusion serves a compelling societal interest, a private exclusionary policy is violative of Ohio law The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971) that individuals have the constitutional right under the First Amendment to wear clothing which displays writing or designs. A citizen has the right to move about freely and peaceably in public places, without protected by the United States Supreme Court

Obtaining a Motorcycle License or Endorsement
Note: 
Students who successfully complete the Motorcycle Ohio Basic RiderCourse will have the State of Ohio skill test waived and will receive their motorcycle endorsement upon presenting their course completion card to a Deputy Registrar. Students under 18 years of age must also meet additional requirements.

OR

*Contact a drivers license examination station to make an appointment for the on-cycle examination. No fee is charged for this test. 
*You must bring a street legal motorcycle to the examination site and you must wear a helmet and eye protection during the test. 
*After you have passed the On-Cycle Test, the examiner will fill out and validate the blue examiner driving permit from your packet. 
*The Blue permit, Red permit, and your drivers license (if you have one) must be presented to the license agency to receive your motorcycle license or to add a motorcycle endorsement to your current valid license. A fee is charged for issuing this new license. 
*If you are 16 or 17 years old, you must show proof of completing a driver education course and a motorcycle safety course before you are eligible to take the on-cycle test to obtain a motorcycle license or endorsement. 
*If you are 18 years old or above, you are not required to complete either course to take the on-cycle test. However, completion of the motorcycle course will provide you with the skills to pass the test. 

What is required to pass the Basic RiderCourse?
*100% attendance to all classroom and riding sessions. 
*80% or better on the multiple choice knowledge test at the end of the course. 
*20 or fewer points deducted on the riding skill evaluation. 
*No errant behavior - this a is a safety course